


Pit Stop

by Carsonian



Series: Young Avengers AU [1]
Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers but make them Young, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Part of an AU my friend and I toss at each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29178204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carsonian/pseuds/Carsonian
Summary: It was only because Tony couldn’t stand the silence in the pit that he walked back to the commons.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Young Avengers AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154900
Comments: 6
Kudos: 62





	Pit Stop

It was only because Tony couldn’t stand the silence in the pit that he walked back to the commons. 

The night before, he’d sat in the pit hoping for inspiration to join him, or at least for an idea that would make the pit seem like a part of the process instead of just the glaring error it actually was. Early in the morning now, 4:36AM, all he’s figured out is that it’s hard to be hopeful when sitting in a big hole in the ground. It’s fine, he reasons, his prerogative has always been actualising the future, not dissecting the past. 

He’s hungry, Tony realises as he walks through the hallway, lights dimmed enough that his shadow follows him on the walls.

He doesn’t think that anyone will be in the kitchen but Steve has always made it a point to surprise him. 

“Figured it out yet?” Steve asks, leaning against the counter and at complete ease. Tony’s jealous.

Tony makes a face at him in answer, moving straight to the coffee machine.

“That bad, huh?” Steve steps neatly in front of the coffee machine before Tony can even turn it on.

“I want coffee.” Tony whines.

“Counter-proposal, go to bed and sleep.” Steve says, not reacting to Tony batting at his chest.

“You know, ever since you’ve gotten the serum, you’ve been a real pain in the ass.” Tony snarks.

Steve raises an eyebrow, “Low blow. You know I’m sensitive about that.” 

“Oh wow,” Tony raises his eyebrows in mimicry, “It’s like I’m too deprived of something to be a nice person.”

“Deprived of sleep, yeah.”

“I meant coffee! Steve, come on.” Tony says, pushing earnestly at Steve.

“Okay, okay,” Steve flashes a quick grin, “Counter-counter proposal, we go out for donuts and coffee.”

“No place is open now.” Tony says.

“Not true,” Steve says, “Shirley’s Cafe is 24 hours now.”

Tony pauses, crossing his arms at Steve who remains annoyingly placid in his anticipation, “You’re paying.”

“Deal.”

...

It’s only when Tony’s had a mug of coffee and three donuts that he realises that Steve’s trapped him. 

“You’re a dick.” Tony blurts, “This was totally a set-up.”

“You say set-up, I say,” Steve scrunches his face, “Reflection? Peer review?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Tony doesn’t know how people have bought the whole sincere all-American boy thing with Steve. The boy’s been nothing but a menace ever since he kicked his way into Tony’s life. 

“Uh, to be fair, I’d planned on waiting until Bruce came back before having this conversation,” Steve says, “But Peggy says he’s requested a two week break.”

“Since when?” Tony asks.

“Two hours after the mission. He left the compound after dinner.” Steve said.

Tony lets out a breath, feeling it hang in the air as he contemplates this. 

“He didn’t tell me.” He remarks.

“Tony, he didn’t tell anyone.” Steve taps at his hand until he looks up, “Not even Nat. Peggy only told me when she got his notice by email.” 

“He’s mad.” Tony says.

“No – well, no, not at you.” Steve leans back, “I think he’s upset with himself, mostly.”

“Mostly.” Tony repeats.

Steve takes a moment to re-fill Tony’s mug and top up his half-empty mug.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Steve says, finally. 

Tony scoffs, pushing back from the seat. “Let’s not.”

“I was there, okay?” Steve presses, “And I’m saying, it wasn’t your fault. We had a plan, we’d discussed precautions beforehand, and truthfully, it went a lot better than it could --”

“We failed, Steve.” Tony cuts in, “Months of research! Months of working with the brightest minds, all those favours to get consultations from scientists and doctors and researchers, and all of that testing. All of that work, and it all – all of it went to shit.”

“It was an experiment.” Steve retorts, “This is an acceptable outcome.”

“No, it’s not!” Tony replies, louder than he’d intended, and instinctively he looks around the diner. The few people there don’t seem to have noticed, though the waitress at the bar does make eye contact with Tony. Tony breaks off, and looks down at the powdered sugar and crumbs on his plate. 

“It’s not acceptable. This was supposed to help him.” Tony says, quiet. “I promised him this would work.”

“Tony,” Steve sighs.

“You don’t understand, Steve.” Tony meets Steve’s concerned gaze, “I was so sure. I was so sure we could do this and contain HULK. I thought that today we’d be celebrating, and Bruce would finally be free, and now I have nothing to offer him. No ideas, no solutions, no certainty.”

“This isn’t your responsibility.” Steve replies.

“Don’t say that,” Tony sighs, “You don’t mean it.”

“Only partly. It’s not your duty to fix this. It’s the team’s, and if this is a failure,” Steve leans forward when Tony looks away, “Tony, hey, look at me, if this is a failure, then it’s ours to bear. Not just yours.”

“That’s a real nice sentiment.” Tony says, raising his eyebrows. He takes a sip from the coffee, and reaches for the chocolate donut that Steve had on his plate, half-eaten. It’s a mark of Steve’s pity for him that he doesn’t make a fuss about it.

“You’re not listening.” Steve says.

“No, I am.” Tony takes a bite from the chocolate donut, and then figures that if Steve is going to continue to pursue this talk, he deserves to be spoken to while Tony’s chewing, “You’re saying all the right things as leader of the team, and I know you want to make me feel better, like the HULK nearly breaking the compound and ruining half the surrounding forestry is just a bad day instead of a precedent for what is to come. But this isn’t your fault, or the team’s responsibility because none of you had a hand in trying to fix this. It was my work, with Bruce, and we failed to find a solution. One of the first scientific endeavors we get actual independence to pursue with the backing of the Avengers, and we wasted it. And bonus! Bruce is still half-possessed by an angry green monster. So. While I appreciate the pep-talk, I really don’t want to talk to Cap right now.”

Steve leans back, and watches him impassively as Tony eats the rest of the donut and downs the just-not-hot-enough coffee.

“Okay.” 

Tony looks up, “What?”

“Okay, you’re right.” Steve adds, “And no, you can’t record that.”

“Unfair.” Tony mumbles.

“So, what do you need?”

“What?” 

“There’s nothing I can say right now, and you can’t figure out an immediate solution --”

“Or long-term solution.” Tony adds.

“Immediate or long-term solution, fine.” Steve says, “So what do you need now?” 

“I need a solution.” Tony says.

Steve rolls his eyes, “I’m not the genius between the two of us. We’re not gonna figure that out today. Think more short-term.”

“Uhh, I don’t know. Give me an example.”

“Donuts and coffee, that was the first step. I’m thinking distraction and comfort as the theme.” Steve suggests. 

“I do like distraction and comfort.” Tony murmurs, leaning against his hand. 

Steve drinks his coffee and asks for the bill while Tony thinks. The last two donuts get packed while Steve does his usual painstaking routine of calculating the tip on paper before Tony interjects with the amount. It’s when they’re walking out of the restaurant that Tony finally knows what he wants.

“I want to fill the pit.” He says, turning to Steve with excitement. 

Steve steers Tony away from the side of the road before saying, “What?”

“The hole Bruce, uh, HULK made in the field, I wanna fill it.” Tony explains.

“With grass, and soil?” Steve asks.

“Well, yeah.” Tony rolls his eyes, “What else would we fill it with?” 

“Okay,” Steve takes a deep breath, “Do you have a shovel?”

Tony scrunches his nose, “Um, no. But there may be one in the tools shed.” 

...

“I’d better win the best boyfriend of the year award for this,” Steve says, scooping up discarded clumps of grass around the pit with his shield.

“You’re up for the best boyfriend of all time with this.” Tony says from where he’s seated on the grass, “Though I’m not sure if it’s you or Cap who should win since you’re using the shield.”

“We’re the same person.” Steve grumbles as he dumps the soil into the pit.

“A lie,” Tony waves his fist in the air, “Steve is much more fun to hang out with than Cap.”

Steve pauses, “Thanks. I think. Now will you help me?”

“How? You didn’t let me get the suit otherwise I could have repulsor’d all of this into a pile.” Tony replies.

“I told you it would be too loud.” Steve stand back and surveys the pit for a moment, “Why don’t you...go in the pit and flatten the clumps?” 

Tony gets up, and brushes grass off his jeans, “I can’t believe you’re making me go into the metaphor of my failure.”

“You were swinging your legs over it the whole night, I’m sure you can handle it.” Steve comments dryly.

Tony gives him a dark look before climbing into the pit, ignoring Steve’s outstretched hand and trying not to wobble as he lands weirdly. Steve huffs and turns back to scoop some more soil. 

“Besides, you could argue that re-arranging the clumps is you fixing your failure. Resolution, of sorts.” Steve adds. 

“Huh,” Tony considers, “That’s not half-bad.”

“Thanks, I’m taking English Literature this year.” Steve says before dumping more soil into the pit. 

“Oh, yeah.” Tony kicks the clumps into a corner and when that doesn’t really work, sighs and leans down to move them with his hands. 

“Incoming.” Steve warns before another, larger pile of soil falls about a foot away from Tony. 

...

It takes about two hours, and the sun rising higher into the sky, for the pit to be filled with all the dislodged clumps that surrounded it. It looks very haphazard, and isn’t much of a permanent solution for the hole, but after all the work they put into it, Tony can’t help but feel slightly satisfied.

“You know how you’re always trying to get me to figure out the physical limits of the serum?” Steve pants, from where he’s laying next to the pit. 

“Yeah.” Tony says, sitting down next to Steve. He pushes Steve’s knee up so that he can lean against it. Steve knocks his side with it but ultimately concedes his knee.

“We found it. That was more tiring than...than fighting the kraken.” Steve continues. 

“Wow,” Tony rests his chin on Steve’s knee, his arms hugging his thigh, “Good thing grave-digging isn’t part of the Avengers’ job description.”

“Ha,” Steve huffs.

Steve’s pretty sweaty, but Tony still crawls onto Steve’s chest, resting his head just below Steve’s collarbones.

“Mrgh.” Steve says, “You’re hot.” 

“Thanks.” Tony says.

He then leans up and kisses Steve, open-mouthed and deep. Steve inhales in surprise before his hands come to Tony’s back, returning the kiss. Tony smiles as Steve’s kisses grow bolder, stronger. Steve pinches his waist in retaliation and sits up, the motion pulling them apart.

“I meant your body. It’s sweaty.” Steve clarifies, the words dampened by how his hands are still resting proprietorially on Tony’s waist.

“Wow, insulting me when you could be kissing me.” Tony drawls. 

“I’m just saying we could shower first.” Steve says, “And we’re outside.”

“Not like that’s stopped you before.” Tony replies, laughing when Steve pinches his waist again. 

“Stop.” Steve says, red seeping into his ears.

“That’s not what you said after the Chicago mission when I was giving you a bl – ohmmm.” Tony gets cut off by Steve’s hand covering his mouth.

“You’re a menace.” Steve says, “And my hand’s not clean, stop licking it.” 

Tony removes Steve’s hand from his face, “Then why’d you put it on my face, dick.”

“Your face is already grimy,” Steve flicks his temple, “You’ve got dirt on it.”

“Aw, shit,” Tony says, “Okay, let’s go shower.” 

...

Without quite meaning to, Tony ends up in Steve’s room after showering, snuggling under the comforter while Steve dries his hair. 

“Why were you up anyway?”

Steve clicks off the blow-dryer, “What?”

“I know you heard me.” Tony says, flopping on to his stomach. 

“Guess I was worried about you.” Steve says, “Couldn’t sleep.”

Tony doesn’t know what to say to that. There’s something lodged in his throat, though, a nugget that he isn’t sure he wants to relieve. 

“I, uh --” He clears his throat. 

Steve looks at him for a moment, calm eyes flickering over Tony’s face before putting down the blow-dryer and walking over. He sits on the bed and Tony meets his gaze curiously. 

Steve rests a hand on Tony’s cheek, stroking upwards before unceremoniously thwacking his face, “We don’t have to make it a thing.”

Despite himself, Tony bristles at Steve’s easy calm. 

“What if I want to make it a thing?” He asks, sitting up. 

Steve’s eyes widen, “Uh, do you?”

“Well,” Tony shakes his head, “Yeah? It’s not like it’s totally out of bounds for me to be in love with you? I mean, we’re dating!” 

His voice raises at the end to a shout, and he finds himself slightly breathless; unsure. Steve’s looking at him like he’s something alarming.

“Um.” Steve swallows, “You’ve never said that before.”

“It’s fine, we don’t have to make it a --”

“No, hold on, Tony,” Steve grabs Tony’s hands, “Give me a second, alright.”

Tony waits, flexing his hands in Steve’s warm grip. 

“I love you too.” Steve says firmly, and Tony exhales in a loud “whoosh”, “Of course I do, I loved you before we even started dating. I mean, you know. I thought it was obvious.”

“Why would that be obvious?” Tony asked. 

Steve shakes his head a little helplessly. 

“I mean – everyone knew. Bucky teased me, in front of you, Nat too, in her own way, and Peggy – she called me to her office just to talk about the protocol on inter-team relationships. I thought you --” Steve breaks off at Tony’s increasing confusion.

“Huh.” Steve says, “You really didn’t know?”

“I knew we were flirting. I didn’t realise it could be something more until – well, until it became something more.” Tony says, honestly. 

“Okay, that’s fair,” Steve nods, “I guess I never really put my cards on the table.”

“No,” Tony smiles, “You just kissed me.”

“Well, you kissed back and we’re here now, so obviously it was a good call.” Steve replies. 

“I’m in love with you.” Tony whispers, leaning into Steve so that he ends up finishing the words against the boy’s collarbones. He feels more than hears Steve’s inhale.

“I’m in love with you.” Steve replies, “It’s really quite terrible. I can’t sleep when you’re hurting, and I worry when you’re upset.” 

“Ha,” Tony grins, leaning back to cup Steve’s face, “Serves you right.” 

Steve snorts, but leans into Tony’s kiss. It’s slower than earlier, measured and gentle. They break apart slowly, close enough that Steve’s breath touches Tony’s face. 

“I win.” Tony proclaims quietly.

“What?” Steve says, shifting back a little.

“I said it first.” Tony grins. “I win.”

“No, no,” Steve argues, “I’ve definitely loved you longer.”

“Yeah, but I said it first!” 

“Oh jeez, look at the time! Let’s sleep!” Steve says, pushing them both into the mattress and quickly covering Tony with the comforter.

“Cheating! You’re cheating!” Tony yells. 

“You look really tired, the eyebags are not a good luck, Tones,” Steve responds, laughing when Tony swipes at his chest. 

“Hey!” Tony says, and Steve yawns into his face, laughing harder when Tony can’t help but yawn back. “Cheater!” 

“Come on, let’s go to bed, we’ll all be winners then.” Steve says, arm locking over Tony’s chest and nose nuzzling into the skin below Tony’s ear. 

“But I’m the winner.” Tony replies, and even to his ears, it sounds petulant. 

“Nope!” Steve says. 

“What, why? I said it --” 

“Because I get the privilege of loving you.” 

Tony knows Steve pretty well, has seen him in his deepest mortification, his darkest anger, his brightest joy – but there are moments when Steve still surprises him, silences Tony with a straight-faced delivery. 

“That’s not fair,” Tony nudges Steve up so the boy has to make eye contact with him, “It was my turn to be nice to you.”

“What?” Steve asks, “We’re keeping count?”

“No,” Tony says, “But you were really good to me tonight. It’s only fair --”

“Forget fair.” Steve says, “Besides, you think I was with you tonight just to be nice?”

“No.” Tony says, “No, yeah, you’re right.”

“And you can’t record that.” He adds. 

Steve laughs, pressing a kiss to Tony’s cheek. 

“Okay, can we sleep now?” Steve asks. 

Tony considers it for a moment, and Steve watches, quiet and mirthful. 

“Yes.” Tony says, “Okay.”

“Good.” Steve replies.

...

It’s when he’s halfway to sleep, Steve’s head in the nook of Tony’s neck that Tony hears it. 

“For what it’s worth, you feel better?” Steve’s almost sheepish as he asks.

Tony looks down and meets Steve’s eyes. 

“Yeah, I do. I mean it’s still gonna be an issue to deal with, tomorrow, or in the future, but --” Tony swallows, “Thank you.” 

Steve hums, eyes closing, “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> First time posting anything so be nice! Or not, it's cool.


End file.
